America moves in conflicting directions on gun laws
One branch of government passes gun reform, another rejects a gun law
“There were audible gasps,” said Christian Heyne of Brady, a gun-control group, when Mitch McConnell voted yes on the Senate gun bill on June 23rd. Mr McConnell, the Senate minority leader, has been a consistent opponent of gun reform. He led a filibuster to stop an expansion of federal background checks after 20 children were murdered at a primary school in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, in 2012. He has an a+ rating from the National Rifle Association (nra), the powerful gun lobby, which once gave him its “Defender of Freedom” award. Yet he joined 14 other Republican senators in voting for the most significant gun reform in three decades.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Win one, lose one”
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